Meet Katie Hill, the millennial who could flip a solidly red California district
Katie Hill is not a leftist, but she could turn the 25th Congressional District blue.
CASEY QUINLAN
OCT 31, 2018, 8:00 AM
Katie Hill has been running for Congress for 19 months, and you can tell. Her answers to questions about policy are polished and substantive. She has studies to back up her claims. Her body language tells you she’s at ease, but her resolute gaze belongs to someone practiced at anticipating challenges and personal jabs.
Hill is a 31 year-old executive of a nonprofit, PATH, People Assisting The Homeless, who grew up in Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley. She would be the first openly bi congresswoman from California if she won the 25th Congressional District race. There are almost 14,000 more Democrats than Republicans in the district, according to CQ Roll Call, but nearly a quarter of voters aren’t registered with a political party. The district has been represented by a Republican since 1993, though it’s becoming increasingly diverse, with Latinx people now making up nearly 40 percent of the district.
Hill and her opponent, Rep. Steve Knight (R), are neck and neck in the polls.
Knight is, in many ways, a formidable opponent. He isn’t gaffe-prone. He says he’s pro-life but stops short of saying he wants Roe v. Wade overturned. He calls for strict immigration policies and has supported almost all of Trump’s policies, but he also joined the House Climate Solutions Caucus and tends not to participate in racist dog-whistling and attacks against the press. He maintains the image of a moderate Republican by stepping over an increasingly low bar.
But that won’t necessarily stop his constituents from realizing where he stands on policy issues. Democratic voters are energized over issues such as education, access to health care, Republicans’ tax bill, and affordable housing — none of which Knight has a great record on.
Just weeks before the election, Knight introduced a bill claiming to protect health care coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, but he had already voted twice against such protections. He voted for the GOP tax bill that benefited the wealthy and grew the deficit, and seems unwilling to seriously address income inequality.
https://thinkprogress.org/meet-katie-hill-democrat-running-flip-california-25-district-congress-2647f88f7846/
November 6, 2018 cannot get here fast enough.......................vote
